On 5th and 6th September 2012, participants representing livestock value chain stakeholder organizations and governments from the continent, as well as Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and AU-IBAR, agreed to establish the Panafrican Platform for Livestock Exporting Countries (PAFLEC), in order to boost trade of livestock and livestock products on the continent. The event took place in the Dreamliner Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and was sponsored by the Spanish Government.

The objectives of the Platform are the following:

• To improve availability and exchange of information on market opportunities and business environment;
• To help develop trade partnerships and synergies;
• To create awareness on livestock and livestock products trade issues;
• To promote and increase visibility of African livestock commodities;
• To strengthen capacities of stakeholders.

Participants at Workshop PAFLEC launch

The launch of PAFLEC is a concrete response to one of the recommendations of the Ministerial Meeting of Ministers in Charge of the livestock sector, held in Entebbe, Uganda in May 2010, who had requested AU-IBAR to establish a mechanism to facilitate intra- and inter-regional trade of livestock and animal products.

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